The present invention relates generally to moving hay rings which are used to feed cattle. More particularly, this invention pertains to an apparatus that allows a farm operator to position hay bale rings over hay bales using a tractor with a rear-mounted hydraulic three-point hitch lifting system.
A device which is well-known to the art is a simple hay spear (or "hay fork") which attaches to the rear of a tractor for spearing a bale of hay for use in moving the bale from one place to another. The hay spear is generally attached to a three-point hitch on the tractor and is raised up and down by the tractor operator. Large hay bales are commonly found in the form of rolls between five and six feet in diameter and these rolls can weigh anywhere from one-quarter to nearly three-quarters of a ton.
An additional device well-known to the art is a hay ring in which a bale of hay is placed for feeding cattle. This hay ring generally consists of at least two (2) and usually three (3) or more opposing circular bands with distantly-spaced slats extending between the uppermost and central bands. This configuration enables cattle to put their heads and necks through the openings in the ring in order to feed from the hay bale.
Although there are well-known methods in the art for moving hay bales from one place to another, there are fewer methods known to the art for attachments to hay rings for moving the hay rings with bales of hay from one place to another. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,330,231 to Brewer teaches an adapter to be welded to a stock hay ring and further requires the use of a double-arm hay mover, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,098 to Adams teaches a hay spear but requires level terrain to hook up, otherwise the hay spear might reach full insertion before the Adams hooks can reach the top ring.